I bought an old, crappy car, and I checked the oil, and well, while it's in need of a serious oil change, the oil looks dark, but thin, and kinda greyish. Possibly water in the oil? Also, my check engine light has been coming on once the car gets warm, but no overheating or anything. A friend said to do an engine flush and a tune up, will this solve my problem?
2007-01-23 13:47:26 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Oh..I had a diagnostics test done on the car today, and they didn't say anything about a bad head or anything, but when I asked about the check engine light, they said I had some bad sensors and this is what could be setting it off. Is this true?
2007-01-23 14:09:27 · update #1
If you have water in the oil you will get a creamy white or gray slim looking stuff on the top of the dipstick. Generally it's a sign of head gasket problems. Change the oil a couple time and if it keeps coming back you probably have head gasket problems.
2007-01-23 13:54:25 · answer #1 · answered by mike1985x 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Tabulator is correct. The way I did it to prove there was water in the engine oil pan ( this also worked if water is in the gas tank) was to release the drain plug and catch the liquid into a clear bottle or clear plastic container and let the contents settle. when separated, the oil (or gas) would be on top and the water on the bottom. In all cases, if water, the water will flow first. An often over looked cause of grayish/yellow looking oil in the valve cover where the oil filler cap is, can be caused by a blocked PCV system and sometimes a stuck open radiator thermostat. Heaven forbid if it's a head gasket or a cracked block.
2007-01-23 22:26:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Water WILL make the oil turn grey or light brown. If a head gasket is blown you may also get some oil in the coolant so check this too. Change the oil and flush the cooling system. Regarding the check engine light - any good auto parts store will have a OBD gauge (On Board Diagnostics). They will let you borrow it free and you can check the OBD code yourself to see why the light is coming on. If the car is too old, it may not have the OBD capability, but the auto parts guys can tell you that also. Good luck.
2007-01-23 22:01:04 · answer #3 · answered by sk33t3r 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Quite possibly, if its thin, might have water in it. drain the oil, get it flushed, and then give it some new oil. for the "check engine" problem, it could be your Oxygen sensor. Older cars were notorious for this. its nothing bad, its just that the sensor cant get an accurate measurment of the O2.
2007-01-23 22:10:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the gray thing is throwing me off. new oil is amber colored, almost clear. dirty oil is nasty black, molasses colored. water in oil turns the oil into a bubbly chocolate milkshake. thick, foamy, and it really looks like a milkshake. there is a test for a bad head gasket where they pressurize your cooling system through the opening of the radiator cap, to check for a leak into the motor. any good repair shop can tell you if you have a bad head gasket.
anyway, there is no mistaking water in oil, if the engine has been run with even a small amount of water in the oil, you will get the milkshake.
2007-01-23 21:54:47 · answer #5 · answered by paintmetalwood 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
if you oil looks thin and greyish it can be one of two things water or anitfreze in the oil change your oil and if your oil still looks the same after driving a bit start looking for places where antifreze could get into the oil water pumps are oftern the easiest place to start but more commonly it is the head gasket.
2007-01-23 22:27:08 · answer #6 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's probably not water since water in the oil tends to thicken it rather than thin it. By all means, have the oil and filter changed and then monitor the oil's condition regularly. As for the check engine light, you'll have to take the car to a mechanic to have it properly diagnosed.
2007-01-23 21:51:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Oil and water separate.
If you already drained it, scoop a bit of it out into a clear plastic cup and see if there are two distinct layers.
Let it set for a bit so it can separate.
You can also set it in the freezer. The water will freeze and turn to ice while the oil simply turns sluggish but does not freeze.
If you end up with ice in the bottom of the cup in the morning, there was water in it.
2007-01-23 21:53:34 · answer #8 · answered by tabulator32 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
What your friend said will help but if its a crappy car its a crappy car. If it needs an oil change get it. It doesn't matter if there's water in it or not. You'll blow the engine if you don't. Happened to my old 99 civic lx
2007-01-23 21:53:03 · answer #9 · answered by Integra08 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It may not solve the problem but it would really help! Water in oil looks nasty, not like oil at all. More like yellowish jet-pufft marshmallow cream. Its bubbly, and a car won't run long with it. Sounds like what you got is really, really, really old oil. really old! dont forget to change the filter!
2007-01-23 21:57:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋